New Unique Program For Black Artists and Creative Entrepreneurs

Dynamic New Program for 20 Creative Entrepreneurs in Memphis and the Mid-South

Several African American ambassadors of the program will be available for networking at the Open House and Panel Discussion

(left to right) Angels and Tomboys, sister kidpreneurs who founded an all-natural fragrance company of ; Tonya Dyson, unmistakable vocal Memphis music talent of NeoSoulsville; and Justin Merrick, Grammy-nominated artist

Memphis, TN (BlackNews.com) — ArtUp, an award-winning Memphis-based arts innovator in conjunction with Rutgers University-Newark Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CUEED), announces the new Memphis Business Hub for Creatives Program to further empower creatives to achieve business success. The Memphis Business Hub for Creatives Program leverages a leading program of the Rutgers-Newark CUEED for artists and creatives with business education tools and entrepreneurial mentorship. This combination is producing options for longer-term business sustainability for artists, creatives and their communities.

“ArtUp reimagines the creative economy. The Memphis Business Hub for Creatives Program will help transform the way artists work, from the gigging and part-time, starving artist to a thriving creative business owner and creative entrepreneur,” says Linda Steele, CEO of ArtUp. Lyneir Richardson, Rutgers-Newark CUEED Executive Director expressed, “Our intention in collaborating with ArtUp is to elevate creative people who operate in media, art and entertainment industries in Memphis. We aim to help creatives, (especially people of color) to become stronger entrepreneurs and property owners.”

ArtUp kicks off the Memphis Business Hub for Creatives Program at their new location in the South Main Artspace, 138 St. Paul St., Suite 119. There will be two events:

The public is invited to the ArtUp Open House on Saturday, July 14, 2018, from 2pm – 4pm. Paul Thomas, ArtUp Artist in Residence, will reveal his provocative installation titled, “Imagined and Real: THREADS OF LIFE.” The public will be able to learn more about the Memphis Business Hub program and how creatives can participate. Refreshments will be provided by ArtUp Fellow Chef Eli Townsend as well as an opportunity for a special tour of the Artspace Loft units. Additionally, several ArtUp ambassadors and creative entrepreneurs will be available for networking, including:

* Angels and Tomboys, all-natural fragrance company of sister kidpreneurs funded by Daymond John and Mark Cuban from ABC’s Shark Tank.

* Tonya Dyson, unmistakable vocal Memphis music talent of NeoSoulsville, blending the heritage of gospel, jazz and R&B into a unique sound.

The second event is a robust Creative Entrepreneurs’ Panel on Monday July 16, 2018, from 10am to noon. This panel will feature Memphis Business Hub ambassadors, business leaders from Memphis, Newark Hub alumni, and innovators who believe in the importance of the creative economy. Steele says, “We envision a working, progressive program combining necessary business skills with the vision and talent of artists and creatives, redefined to include chefs and seamstresses and graphic designers. There are no limits on creativity.”

The Memphis Business Hub for Creatives Program is modeled on the success of the Newark Business Hub, established by Rutgers Business School CUEED in 2016. Creatives in the Memphis program will have access to business mentors and coaches, business classes, professional services, and business planning education. The Memphis program will recruit participants from across the city with a special focus on residents of the South Main Artspace Lofts.

Says Richardson, “In Newark, creatives are participating in noteworthy business ventures. They are at the forefront of inclusive equitable economic growth initiatives and are working to own property. We expect the participants in the Memphis Hub program to do the same.”

This new ArtUp program adds to the Memphis business canvass and further positions Memphis as a Regional leader for creative entrepreneurial success.

Media, journalists, and bloggers are invited to join us and schedule individual interviews by emailing [email protected]

About ArtUpArtUp is an arts-based start-up and creative enterprise. ArtUp adds creative value to people, places, and communities. The mission is to invest in creative entrepreneurs to empower disinvested communities. The vision is to artup communities for the advancement of economic, social, and racial equity.

ArtUp and its signature initiative, the Fellowship, was incubated at the United Arts Fund, ArtsMemphis. ArtUp was founded in 2017 and is fiscally sponsored by Community LIFT. While at ArtsMemphis, The Fellowship received the 2016 Inaugural Robert E. Gard Award from Americans for the Arts and a 2016 and 2017 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. ArtUp is a 2017-18 member of NEW INC, the New Museum’s cultural incubator in New York, NY. ArtUp founded and operates the Orange Mound Gallery (OMG) in the first African-American neighborhood for home ownership. ArtUp hosts the podcast Artivism on the Kudzukian Network. For more information, visit www.WeArtUp.org or [email protected]

About Rutgers University-NewarkRutgers University – Newark (RU-N) is a diverse, urban, public research university that is an anchor institution in New Jersey’s cultural capital. Nearly 13,000 students are currently enrolled at its 38-acre campus in a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, University College, the Graduate School, Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick, the Rutgers Law School – Newark, the School of Criminal Justice, and the School of Public Affairs and Administration. RU-N is exceptionally well positioned to fulfill higher education’s promise as an engine of discovery, innovation, and social mobility. It has a remarkable legacy of producing high-impact scholarship that is connected to the great questions and challenges of the world. It has the right mix of disciplines and interdisciplinary centers and institutes to take on those questions and challenges. It is in and of a city and region where its work on local challenges undertaken with partners from many sectors resonates powerfully throughout our urbanizing world. Most importantly, RU-N brings an incredible diversity of people to this work – students, faculty, staff, and community partners – making it more innovative, more creative, more engaging, and more relevant for our time and the times ahead. For more information, please visit www.newark.rutgers.edu

About Rutgers Business School Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CUEED)The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (CUEED) integrates scholarly works with private capital, government, and non-profit sectors to bring renewed economic growth and vitality through urban entrepreneurship. The Newark Business Hub, a Rutgers CUEED program, is a networked accelerator dedicated to empowering media, arts and entertainment industry entrepreneurs who are focused on growing their business faster, better and stronger. For more information, visit www.business.rutgers.edu/cueed